Mood: Springy

Wine Selection: 2003 Ilona Howell Mountain

The birds are chirping, the sun is out and I’m ready to clean, clean, clean! The thought of cleaning make you cringe? It won’t after you hear my new motto…never clean without a glass of wine! Do you like it?! I thought you would.

The wine of choice for me right now is the 2003 Ilona. This proprietary blend is mainly Cabernet and Merlot with some blender varietals in there somewhere. There is so much that I love about this wine it’s hard to think where to start. First with the actual taste…when I saw Howell Mountain on the label, I thought it was going to be the “manhattan” style wine with +15% alcohol and jammy, jammy, jammy. This is NOT that wine! It’s much more refined. It has nice fruit up front, including plum, blackberry, and cherry, however, when the wine moves from the tip of your tongue to fill your mouth, you get a nice, velvet and clean spicy finish. It’s not obscenely hot or tannic. It’s elegant! How many of you have had an elegant Bordeaux style blend from Howell Mountain? Well, this wine is perfect for many occasions: cleaning, bbq’n, un”wine”ding after a long week, etc.

There is one catch…there always is, right? This wine isn’t going to be released until April 2009! I do believe that Catherine Eddy, owner, will let you buy some if you call or email her, but you won’t be able to pick it up from you local store. Sorry Charlie! Have patience or make it happen! Sign up for her mailing list at www.ilonawine.com/join.html and get more information on release info and specials.

Wine Selection: Louis M. Martini Lot 1

I’m not going to give anymore excuses as to why I haven’t written a post for so long, but the good news is I think this is going to be a good one.  For years people have been saying they don’t like wine writers, wine ratings, Robert Parker scores, etc.  Yet, those same people are buying the wines that those same writers recommend.  I understand that it’s a bit of a catch 22 because there are just so many wines out there!  How are you supposed to make an educated decision, if you aren’t given the opportunity to try the wine for yourself?  Here I will explain my problem with ratings, the politics behind them, and how to make an educated decision based on…here’s the shocker…YOUR VERY OWN PALATE!

First: The Problem

There are a handful of scores that are considered “legitimate.”  Among them are Robert Parker of Wine Advocate, James Laube of  Wine Spectator, Steve Heimoff of Wine Enthusiast, Wine and Spirits Magazine, and Patterson’s Tasting Pannel.  These people and publications dictate what is good and what is bad in the wine industry.  A great score (92 and higher) from Robert Parker or Wine Spectator will sell out that entire vintage of wine and is enough to put a winery on the map.  However, these people taste so much wine everyday and there is now way that my palate is the same as there’s.  As a matter of fact, their palates have changed tremendously through their careers!  Why are we drinking what 4 people like?!  It’s ridiculous!  If they like dark chocolate, are you going to start liking dark chocolate?  No, that’s sounds crazy!  So why do we do it in wine?

Second: The Politics

Wineries have become so dependent on what these critics say that wineries are actually making wines for Robert Parker.  They make 100-300 cases of wine that is directed towards their palate.  Then Parker tries it, gives it a 96, and BAM!  They are in business!  Lot 1 from Louis Martini is on this list of wineries and the staff in the tasting room will tell you straight.  Interestingly enough, Louis M. Martini’s wine is good, but only the Lot 1 has the classic Parker structure…

…blackcurrant, blackberry and dark chocolate with undertones of tobacco and coffee. In the mouth, its firm backbone supports an elegant mid-palate with flavors of toasted nuts and sweet vanilla from the oak that are perfectly blended, adding complexity and finesse to an extremely well balanced wine. (Louis M. Martini website)

Not to mention that it also has 15% alcohol, give or take…probably give.  Are you getting this?  Wineries are structuring these specific wines to what critics want, then they are making the rest of the line-up the way they want.  Why are we falling for this?  There is so much technology that has allowed an abundance of information at our fingertips.  Lets take the power back and buy the wine that WE like.

Third: The Solution

Like I mentioned earlier, I really feel that the problem comes from the crazy amount of wine on the market.  I totally understand.  I mean, wine is my business and I still go into the store and find wines that I have never seen or heard of.  How do you make a decision?  First, I recommend finding a wine that you actually like.  Then look it up online and see who has written about it favorably.  That means those people have similar taste to you.  Then see what else they are drinking and also liking.  Go to the store and try some of their favorites and see if you like them too!

Lastly, bite the bullet, live on the edge!  I try to buy at least one bottle of wine a week that I’ve never heard of, as long as it’s within a certain price point.  Come on!  Stop taking wine so seriously!  Then, if you want, you can review it online and participate in the many online wine communities out there!

Well, like Porky the Pig says, “Th th th th th th th that’s All Folks!”  Until next time…which will be sooner rather than later.

The Moody Wine Drinker

Wine Selection: Bonny Doon’s 2000 Le Cigare Volant

Happy New Year All!  I had a fantastic bringing in of the New Year.  It involved awesome wine and great food.  Cafe Cruz, a Santa Cruz County favorite restaurant, came through with a delightful roasted chicken with garlic roasted potatoes…YUM! 

I brought the vino, not because Cafe Cruz doesn’t have a great list, but it’s New Years, I wanted to bring some wines with gusto.  I brought two bottles (there were 4 of us so don’t worry), the first was Silver Mountain’s double gold medal winning Pinot Noir.  The fruit was sourced from Tondre’s Grapefield in Santa Lucia Highlands…phenomenal!  This 2003 Pinot still had bright fruit and the classic earthy finish that I love.  That wine went with the appetizer and it matched the bruschetta perfectly! 

On to the the main course, the chicken that I mentioned earlier with the 2000 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant was delicious. 

This wine is a flagship for Bonny Doon and is typically more fruit foward with an elegant tannin finish.  Due to the age, and old school cork closure, the fruit had become much more elegant as well.  It was so rounded, I didn’t want it to ever end!

Now for the enlightened part of my mood…I realized that I have control over how I react to my environment.  I know that this may seem odd, but I was “sweating the small stuff.”  What’s the point?  Bad things happen, it’s how you react that makes them either a TERRIBLE experience or a learning experience.  It’s not rocket science, I know, but try it.   It definitely takes a conscious effort.

Good Luck!

The Moody Wine Drinker

Wine Selection: Gatos Locos “Santa Cruz Mountain” Pinot Noir

I’m nearing the end of month two in St. Helena. I have flirted with loneliness, dodged depression, and met a few great people. Merryvale is great! Luckily, I love my job! The people I work with are diverse and I intend to learn the most I can from all of them. The main downside is that I haven’t met many people, outside of the workplace. I don’t live in walking distance to downtown, so I can’t meet people that way. I don’t work with the public, other than on the phone, so I can’t meet people that way. Crush just ended, so hopefully more people will be out an about. I’ve had a lot of loose ends to tie up back in Santa Cruz, so I have been going home a lot on the weekends. The only things getting me through this social dry spell are my family and friends! They are amazing! They are always there to listen, to talk to, to see when I go home and it’s like I was never gone. I am so lucky to have such remarkable people that support me. Thank you to all of you, you know who you are.

My wine selection, is based on this time of year and it’s time for TURKEY! My favorite wine for turkey? Pinot Noir…it’s delicate and flavorful nature is just enough to compliment delicate turkey meat, even if you drown it in rich gravy! Gatos Locos is my selection for a perfect wine for this time of the year. I was reminded of the wine at my former bosses, now friend, wedding. He and his husband were lucky enough to be married at Vine Hill’s beautiful winery and this pinot noir was served with a variety of finger foods and it went perfectly with everything.

Aromas of baked cranberry tart, spiced apples, vanilla, and orange peel, with spicy flavors of white pepper and coriander.

Another great part about this pinot is that it’s only $29! I have a rule when it comes to Pinot Noir…never reach for a bottle that is under $25. It’s not snobby, it’s based on experience. I have done the $7 pinot, I’ve done the $15 and the $20 and none are worth it! Pinot Noir is a very thin skinned red wine grape. The significance? The fruit is more susceptible to the elements. Good Pinot Noir fruit has to have a perfect climate, usually cooler, and perfect canopy management or it will be under ripe or burnt by the sun.

Enjoy!
The Moody Wine Drinker

Wine Selection: Flora Springs 2005 Trilogy

I love Halloween when it falls on a Friday! You get to dress up at work, dress up in the evening, scare some little kids when you give out candy, then go out! Can’t beat that. In my case, the ladies at Merryvale, were invited to the last “summer” lunch held at Flora Springs winery. I had no idea what to expect. We arrived and were seated under an open sided building, handed a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc and got to relax and gaze at their estate vineyards, while the rest of their guests arrived. Can’t beat a glass of wine in that setting on a lunch break. Hugh Hefner, aka Jason, was our guide for the day and he was fantastic!

He’s funny, he’s knowledgeable and he can read a crowd like a book. We were given a short intro to the history of Flora Springs, then we were taken to their caves, that is not only under ground, but also under their natural spring (hence, Flora Springs). Mr. Hefner gave us some information about the 3,000 barrel capacity caves, the barrels that Flora Springs uses, the vineyard practices, then he thieved some wine out of a barrel from the Wild Boar vineyard designate Cabernet Sauvingnon. It was obviously young, but you could already taste the potential. We couldn’t believe it….

That’s not our real hair

From there, we went into the entertaining room, where we sat with Sean Garvey, Flora’s grandson. We were engaged in fun, educational conversation throughout the lunch. The lunch was the icing on the cake (pun intended) and was catered by Grapevine Catering. It all started with a mushroom, goat cheese, caramelized onion appetizer that was served during the tour. Then we had a salad with mapled walnuts and fuji apples. The main course, that was so good I had to take a picture!

The pumpkin was so cool! It reminded me of a twice baked potato, but in fact was a roasted pumpkin, filled with roasted acorn and butternut squash, with scallions and truffle essence. The pork tenderloin was topped with a Trilogy wine reduction sauce, Trilogy being their flagship wine that was also paired with this dish. It was SO good! The meal ended with a cupcake and a marzapan tombstone. The chocolate fudge frosting was so good, it could have been eaten a la carte. Back to the Trilogy, their Bordeaux style blend:

Sean Garvey says it best…

Each varietal is vital to the outcome – the Cabernet exhibits black cherry and dark cocoa character, while the Merlot carries these flavors to the back of the palate where the Cabernet Franc adds notes of coffee and toffee to the finish. Unrelenting with power and grace, the 2005 Trilogy is the perfect wine to mark Flora Springs’ 30th anniversary year.

The 30 years has obviously taught them a few things because the entire experience was EXCELLENT: excellent service, excellent wines, excellent conversation, excellent food…the works! The best part? There was nothing pretentious about Flora Springs. They are a refreshing breath of fresh air in a valley that can use a little more.

Cheers!

Erica Lauesen

The Moody Wine Drinker/Tinker Hell

My evening costume…Peter Pans worst nightmare, comes to life with “Tinker Hell!”